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fix(dagster-dbt): improve error messages for missing dbt adapter and invalid target_path #33924

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fix(dagster-dbt): improve error messages for missing dbt adapter and invalid target_path #33924

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fix(dagster-dbt): improve error messages for missing dbt adapter and …
subramanya-dev Jun 12, 2026
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fix(dagster-dbt): surface actionable errors for missing dbt adapter a…
subramanya-dev Jun 12, 2026
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18 changes: 13 additions & 5 deletions python_modules/libraries/dagster-dbt/dagster_dbt/compat.py
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Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -40,11 +40,19 @@
REFABLE_NODE_TYPES: list[str] = []
else:
if DBT_PYTHON_VERSION is not None:
from dbt.adapters.base.impl import (
BaseAdapter as BaseAdapter,
BaseColumn as BaseColumn,
BaseRelation as BaseRelation,
)
try:
from dbt.adapters.base.impl import (
BaseAdapter as BaseAdapter,
BaseColumn as BaseColumn,
BaseRelation as BaseRelation,
)
except ModuleNotFoundError as e:
raise ModuleNotFoundError(
"A dbt adapter package could not be found.\n\n"
"Please install the appropriate dbt adapter for your data platform "
"(for example: dbt-postgres, dbt-bigquery, or dbt-snowflake).\n\n"
f"Original error:\n{e}"
) from e
Comment on lines +43 to +55

@greptile-apps greptile-apps Bot Jun 12, 2026

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P2 Error message may misdirect users when the base adapter package is missing

dbt.adapters.base.impl lives in the dbt-adapters package, which is a core dependency of dbt-core, not a specific adapter package. If this import fails with ModuleNotFoundError, it means dbt-adapters itself is absent (e.g., a broken or partial install), not that a platform-specific adapter like dbt-postgres is missing. Installing dbt-postgres would indirectly fix the issue (it pulls in dbt-adapters), but a user who already has dbt-postgres installed would be confused by being told to install it again. The message would be more accurate if it mentioned dbt-adapters as the primary fix, with platform adapters as the second suggestion.

from dbt.contracts.results import NodeStatus, TestStatus
from dbt.node_types import NodeType as NodeType

Expand Down
25 changes: 23 additions & 2 deletions python_modules/libraries/dagster-dbt/dagster_dbt/core/resource.py
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Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -646,7 +646,13 @@ def my_dbt_op(dbt: DbtCliResource):
dagster_dbt_translator = updated_params.dagster_dbt_translator
selection_args = updated_params.selection_args
indirect_selection = updated_params.indirect_selection
target_path = target_path or self._get_unique_target_path(context=context)
raw_target_path = target_path or self._get_unique_target_path(context=context)
if not isinstance(raw_target_path, Path):
raise ValueError(
f"The 'target_path' argument must be a pathlib.Path, not {type(raw_target_path).__name__!r}."
" Pass a Path object, for example: target_path=Path('target')."
)
target_path = raw_target_path
Comment on lines +649 to +655

@greptile-apps greptile-apps Bot Jun 12, 2026

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P2 The intermediate raw_target_path variable is assigned and then immediately reassigned to target_path without any transformation. The isinstance guard can operate on target_path directly.

Suggested change
raw_target_path = target_path or self._get_unique_target_path(context=context)
if not isinstance(raw_target_path, Path):
raise ValueError(
f"The 'target_path' argument must be a pathlib.Path, not {type(raw_target_path).__name__!r}."
" Pass a Path object, for example: target_path=Path('target')."
)
target_path = raw_target_path
target_path = target_path or self._get_unique_target_path(context=context)
if not isinstance(target_path, Path):
raise ValueError(
f"The 'target_path' argument must be a pathlib.Path, not {type(target_path).__name__!r}."
" Pass a Path object, for example: target_path=Path('target')."
)

project_dir = Path(
updated_params.dbt_project.project_dir
if updated_params.dbt_project
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -717,7 +723,22 @@ def my_dbt_op(dbt: DbtCliResource):
if self._cli_version.major < 2:
try:
adapter = self._initialize_dbt_core_adapter(args)
except:
except ModuleNotFoundError as e:
if "dbt.adapters" in str(e):
logger.warning(
"A dbt adapter package could not be loaded. Please install the"
" appropriate dbt adapter for your data platform (for example:"
" dbt-postgres, dbt-bigquery, or dbt-snowflake). Some Dagster"
" features that require a live connection to your data platform"
" will be unavailable.\n\nOriginal error: %s",
e,
)
else:
logger.warning(
"An error was encountered when creating a handle to the dbt adapter in Dagster.",
exc_info=True,
)
Comment on lines +726 to +740

@greptile-apps greptile-apps Bot Jun 12, 2026

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P1 Double-nested error message produces confusing output

_initialize_dbt_core_adapter now raises a ModuleNotFoundError whose message already includes "Original error:\n{e}". When cli() then catches that exception and logs it as "...\n\nOriginal error: %s", e, the final warning prints the installation hint twice and "Original error" twice in nested form. A user would see something like:

A dbt adapter package could not be loaded … Original error: A dbt adapter package could not be found … Original error: No module named 'dbt.adapters.factory'

Additionally, the condition "dbt.adapters" in str(e) or "dbt-" in str(e) always evaluates to True for exceptions raised by _initialize_dbt_core_adapter, because the new custom message itself contains "dbt-postgres", "dbt-bigquery", and "dbt-snowflake". The else branch (lines 744–748) is effectively dead code on that specific error path, leaving the routing logic fragile—if the message in _initialize_dbt_core_adapter is ever changed, the routing silently breaks.

Note: If this suggestion doesn't match your team's coding style, reply to this and let me know. I'll remember it for next time!

except Exception:
logger.warning(
"An error was encountered when creating a handle to the dbt adapter in Dagster.",
exc_info=True,
Expand Down